Malaysia Airlines MH370: search enters 'new phase'

Australian PM says it was 'possible' the Boeing 777 would never be recovered

Air searches for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane are being cancelled as authorities switch to a new underwater operation that could take at least six to eight months.

Tony Abbott, Australia’s prime minister, said the change to an intensified underwater operation were required following the “disappointing and baffling” failure to detect wreckage during an initial examination of a targeted search zone.

Abandoning his enthusiasm from several weeks ago – when he suggested the plane could be found within days – Mr Abbott said it was “possible” the Boeing 777 would never be recovered but authorities remain convinced the search was being conducted in the right place.

He said the plane disappeared more than seven weeks ago and it was "highly unlikely" that floating debris would still be on the ocean's surface. The Boeing 777, carrying 239 passengers, disappeared on March 8.

"By this stage, 52 days into the search, most material would have become waterlogged and sunk," he said.

Admitting it was possible the plane may never be found, he said: “It would be a terrible outcome. It would leave the families with a baffling uncertainty forever. A plane can’t just disappear. It must be somewhere.”

Authorities will expand the underwater search area and use private contractors to deploy additional equipment following the failure of the unmanned Bluefin-21 submarine to find wreckage in a targeted area in the Indian Ocean.

The new search is expected to take at least six to eight months and will need to cover more than 20,000 square miles. Australia has agreed to pay the £33 million cost but will consult with other nations.

"We will be seeking some appropriate contributions from other nations involved, but we will ensure that this search goes ahead," Mr Abbott said.

The underwater search zone will be based on the area where four sets of signals were detected that are believed to have been emitted by the plane’s black box locator beacon.

“This is the best info that we have got,” he said. “It may turn out to be a false lead but it is the best lead that we have and we are determined to pursue it... We will search it all. That will obviously take quiet a few months, depending on the weather and on how quickly the equipment can be deployed.”